2025 - 2026 Coaches

Jeremy LeClaire was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and grew up in Central New York, where he discovered his passion for hockey at age 5. He played for youth teams like the Center State Stampede and Cazenovia Lakers, developing his skills and forming friendships. Now at 33, Jeremy still plays the game of hockey leveraging his extensive experience to embody sportsmanship on the ice.

In addition to playing, Jeremy has dedicated the last four years to coaching youth hockey, at the 10U and 8U levels. His coaching style is built on three fundamental rules: respect, attitude and effort. He instills the importance of respect for players, coaches, referees, and parents at every rink, maintaining a positive attitude whenever they step foot on the ice, and giving 100% effort in every practice and game. 

Jeremy served eight years in the United States Marine Corps, a period that significantly shaped his character and leadership abilities. After being stationed at Camp Lejeune, he chose to make North Carolina his home, where he has since grown his family.

Outside of hockey, he treasures quality time with his wife and children. Jeremy's unwavering dedication to hockey, both on the ice and in coaching, reflects his commitment to the game and the community it fosters.

Dennis Levin originally from Belarus moved to Brooklyn, NY at age 10. He discovered his passion for hockey at the age of 11 during a family trip to the Catskills Mountains, where he found himself drawn to a small ice rink in the hotel basement. From that moment on, weekends were spent at the local rink, where he and his best friend immersed themselves with ice skating, attending two sessions of public skate most Saturdays and Sundays. 

It was during these years that Dennis’s love for hockey truly flourished. Between skating sessions, he watched hockey practices and games, captivated by the sport's intensity and skill. This passion led to an invitation from one of the in-house coaches to join the house league, marking the beginning of his organized hockey journey.

Upon relocating to Northern New Jersey at the age of 14, Dennis continued his hockey pursuits, playing another year of house hockey before transitioning to travel hockey with the NJ Mavericks (now known as the NJ Avalanche). For the next four years, he dedicated himself to the sport, honing his skills and fostering lifelong lessons

Though life eventually led him away from the rink, it wasn't until 25 years later that Dennis found himself back on the ice, thanks to his son's introduction to the sport. His return to hockey has reignited his passion for the game, driving him to share his knowledge and love of the sport as a youth hockey head coach for the 10U team, where his son proudly plays alongside his teammates.

With his experience and a deep-rooted love for hockey, Dennis is dedicated to instilling the same passion and enthusiasm for the sport in the next generation of players, both on and off the ice.

Dennis lives in Hampstead with his wife Rona and their kids Charlotte 14, Ethan 11 Aleksander 7 they all share in his love of the ice, his boys play hockey and his daughter figure skates.

Mike is a native of Jackson, Michigan where he began his hockey journey at the age of 3 and continued playing travel hockey up to Midget AA level. Mike has been in the United Sates Marine Corps for the past 13 years and still plays in local leagues wherever the military takes him and his family. Mike was the assistant coach for the ’23 - 24 12U Teal Wilmington Jr. Seahawks. With Mike’s love for the game of hockey and nearly 30 years of experience playing, he is committed to bringing his wealth of knowledge to the 14U Wilmington Jr. Seahawks.

Mike lives in Surf City with his wife Anessa and their kids Aiden 12 and Nora 7. He enjoys spending his free time watching his kids play sports, running, and playing golf.

Matt grew up in a small town in Owen Sound, Ontario where he began playing organized hockey at 4yrs old for the Shallow Lake Lakers. During his time within youth hockey, Matt and his Lakers team won the Ontario championship three years in a row.

Matt then played 4yrs of AAA hockey for the Guelph Storm, Grey Bruce Highlanders, and Waterloo Wolves where he was invited to U16 Team Ontario Evaluation Camp and at the age of 15 played multiple junior hockey games with the Owen Sound Greys.

After youth hockey, Matt played 4yrs of JrA hockey in the GOJHL and CCHL where he was named a 3x All-Star, 2x All-Defense Team, named Team CCHL captain, and represented Team Canada in the World JrA Challenge. After junior hockey, Matt played collegiate hockey at Liberty University where he was First Team All-Rookie and First Team All-Defense. Following his playing career, he obtained his master’s degree and dedicated himself to coaching at Liberty University and Skills Development Coach.

For 3yrs Matt served as an Executive Search Consultant within the biotechnology space in Wilmington. In January 2024, Matt jumped back into hockey where he was named Head Coach and General Manager for the Atlanta Mad Hatters in the United States Premier Hockey League where his team led the division with the most players called up to the next level for the season.

Matt and his wife Sarah are excited to move back to Wilmington to serve within Wilmington Youth Hockey and the U14 team. He is focused on development local youth hockey players and teaching the game of hockey that they love.

Derek grew up in New York on Long Island and played travel hockey starting at 6 years old and continued to high school. Then he played high school hockey doing all four years on varsity. Derek played hockey in college for Long Island University. He started coaching seven years ago with the last two years being here in Wilmington. Along with skills, Derek stresses to the players the importance of playing as a unit and not an individual.